<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>Rise Through the Night by jatpfan</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27074605">Rise Through the Night</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/jatpfan/pseuds/jatpfan'>jatpfan</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Julie and The Phantoms (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alive Alex &amp; Luke Patterson &amp; Reggie (Julie and The Phantoms), Alternate Universe, Caleb is still a booger, Car Accidents, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Guns, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Homophobia, Kidnapping, M/M, Non-Consensual Drug Use, Poisoning, Ray is an amazing dad, Several parallels to the show, Whump, but the boys are alive so things go differently, things will get darker than in the show</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-10-18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-10-21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-09 01:08:52</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>5,287</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27074605</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/jatpfan/pseuds/jatpfan</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>When Julie Molina joined their band, Luke, Alex, and Reggie never expected it to set of a chain reaction that could cost them their lives.</p>
<p>---</p>
<p>Or, the boys are all alive, but somehow they still run into Caleb.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Alex &amp; Julie Molina &amp; Luke Patterson &amp; Reggie, Alex &amp; Luke Patterson &amp; Reggie (Julie and The Phantoms), Alex/Willie (Julie and The Phantoms), Julie Molina/Luke Patterson, Ray Molina &amp; Reggie</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>145</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Wake Up</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Heed the tags, please! This will be a big darker than in the show.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It wasn’t easy for her to disappear at Los Feliz High School. Of course, she had never been the most popular student (that title resided with Carrie Wilson), but before her mother’s death, it was well-known that Julie Molina’s musical talent was among the best of the school. There were rumors for a while that she was going to join Dirty Candy, even, but the rumors quickly died down when it became obvious that Carrie would never allow Julie to join. There was too much a risk of the girl shining brighter than Carrie in the band, after all.</p><p>So, when Julie’s mother passed away after a long battle with cancer, resulting in Julie abandoning all forms of music, it was pretty big news among the school. Even after several months, Julie couldn’t avoid the feeling that people were staring at her as she passed through the hallway.</p><p>She stopped by her locker and pulled her hat further down her forehead so that it hid her face as she put in the combination.</p><p>“Hey, underachiever.”</p><p>A smile painted across Julie’s lips at the voice.</p><p>“Hey, disappointment,” she greeted Flynn.</p><p>Flynn grinned back at her, binders tucked to her chest.</p><p>“Okay, I know you don’t want me to ask, but have you figured out what you’re going to do today?” she asked.</p><p>“I’ll know in the moment,” she said.</p><p>Honestly, she had no idea. The thought of performing any type of music left chills down her back, and she had pushed it all off until the last moment.</p><p>“Really, Jules?” Flynn asked, unimpressed, “That’s all you’re giving me? Mrs. Harrison said this is your <em>last chance</em>.”</p><p>“I know,” Julie insisted. She sighed, “I was there.”</p><p>If she was being honest with herself, leaving the music program didn’t scare her as much as she thought it would. Avoiding music completely would probably make life easier. Leaving Flynn wasn’t easy, though, and if she left the music program, she was leaving Flynn.</p><p>Before either could say anything else about the matter, Carrie’s voice echoed through the hall.</p><p>“See you at the rally!”</p><p>“Ugh,” Flynn groaned, “What is she handing out?”</p><p>Julie let her eyes flick over to her old friend, watching as the girl handed out flyer after flyer with a cheerful smile across her face. Nick flanked her, smiling politely at the crowd around them.</p><p>“Desperation?” Julie guessed.</p><p>They wouldn’t need to guess for very long, though. To Julie’s dismay, Carrie approached them. Her cheerful smile twisted as she approached, obviously fake. She handed them both fliers.</p><p>“Here you go. My group’s performing at the spirit rally tomorrow,” she said, smirking, “I’m sure you guys have nothing better to do.”</p><p>“Oh my gosh, Carrie. Thanks!” Flynn said sarcastically, “I’m sure Sunset Curve won’t completely overshadow your group this time.”</p><p>If Julie hadn’t grown up with Carrie, she wouldn’t have recognized the slight twitch of her eye at that. Her smile never faltered.</p><p>“Oh my gosh, Flynn,” she mocked, “Don’t bother coming!”</p><p>She turned on her feet and sauntered away, leaving Julie and Flynn by the lockers. Flynn crumpled the flyer, a grimace on her lips, but Julie’s eyes were glued onto Nick’s form nearby, tuning out Carrie’s voice effortlessly. He didn’t even look at her as he tapped away on his phone and leaned on his guitar case.</p><p>“Nick?” Flynn whispered, catching sight of where Julie was staring at, “Still? You know they’re gonna get married and have a bunch of unholy babies.”</p><p>“Nick’s a sweetheart,” Julie protested.</p><p>“You’d actually have to talk to him to know that,” Flynn pointed out, “And only one of them has to be a demon to make a demon baby. Demon!”</p><p>Her last word was directed at Carrie’s back, and the two girls quickly hid their heads as Carrie’s head snapped over to them. Julie fought back a laugh.</p><p>“There’s that smile,” Flynn grinned, “Now, let’s go prove everybody wrong.”</p>
<hr/><p>Music class was the worst class of the day. Nick was cute, and she wished she could cheer him on as he performed, but the whole class just left a feeling of dread pooling in her stomach. She could hear as he finished, though, the entire class erupting into applause.</p><p>“Nice job, Nick,” Mrs. Harrison said, “Almost as impressive as your game against Glendale.”</p><p>Chuckles broke out around the room.</p><p>“Okay, we have one last performance,” Mrs. Harrison said, walking forward. Julie pulled her hat down, trying to hide, but it was fruitless, “Julie?”</p><p>There were no longer any chuckles. The room grew silent as Julie stood up, her hands shaking as she carried her folder and made her way to the piano. Every step towards the instrument felt like she was walking towards her doom. She swallowed thickly.</p><p>She reached the piano and slowly took her seat. Her heart was pounding in her chest now. Everyone was staring at her.</p><p>“Take your time,” Mrs. Harrison said softly.</p><p>“You got this, Julie,” someone called out.</p><p>She jumped, surprised, and her head briefly snapped over to Luke Patterson, lead singer of Sunset Curve. He was smiling at her, and the three boys were giving her a thumbs up.</p><p>It wasn’t like Julie didn’t know who Luke, Alex, and Reggie were. They were the most popular students at Los Feliz after Carrie Wilson, after all, and her mom had worked with them several times before her death. Still… she hadn’t realized that they even knew who she was.</p><p>She swallowed, flicking her eyes briefly to the encouraging smile on Flynn’s face, and then looked back down at the piano.</p><p>Her fingers hovered over the keys. She could practically feel them underneath the skin before she touched them.</p><p>She pulled back.</p><p>“I’m sorry,” she whispered, voice shaking.</p><p>She could see the disappointment in Mrs. Harrison’s face, and the longer she stared, the more it looked like her own mother.</p><p>She looked away, fighting back tears.</p><p>“Is this when we clap?” Carrie obnoxious voice broke through the air.</p><p>She could feel the tears threatening to spill over, and she knew if she stayed there for one more second, the entire class would see her cry. Without thinking, she took off, darting out of the room.</p><p>“Watch it, Carrie,” she heard Flynn snap behind her, but she paid it no attention.</p><p>She couldn’t do it.</p>
<hr/><p>“Julie! Hey, Julie!”</p><p>She sighed as she shut her locker. It was the end of the day, and after the embarrassment of music class, she was eager to get home. Flynn at least had the decency to give her some time alone, but it appeared that not everyone got the picture.</p><p>She turned, and her heart skipped a beat at the sight of Luke Patterson hurrying over to him. The other two members of Sunset Curve were nowhere to be seen, which was a rarity among the halls, but Julie didn’t have time to ponder it.</p><p>Panicking, she quickly shut her locker and tried to dash down the hall, but Luke reached her before she could. He placed a hand on her arm to keep her from escaping.</p><p>“Hey,” he said, “I- Uh, I wanted to talk to you.”</p><p>“No offense,” she said, “But I really don’t feel like talking right now.”</p><p>He winced lightly and rubbed his neck, a nervous chuckle leaving his lips.</p><p>“Yeah, I thought about that,” he said before barreling on, “I just… You can’t give up music, Julie. You’re amazing. I know you know that.”</p><p>A puff of breath left her lips. She turned her head away from him, staring down at her feet.</p><p>“I’m no Carrie Wilson.”</p><p>“No, you’re way better than her,” he said with a light laugh, “Trust me. I would know. You wouldn’t believe how many times Trevor has tried to convince us to let her join the band.”</p><p>That was news to her. She blinked, glancing back up into his hazel eyes.</p><p>“Why?”</p><p>“Why?” he repeated, frowning, before a light laugh left his lips, “We don’t let just anyone join Sunset Curve. It’s… kind of special to us. It’s more than a band, you know?”</p><p>She hummed softly as a response.</p><p>“Look, is there anything we can do to help you? The world needs your voice, Julie.”</p><p>“I didn’t even know you knew my name,” she said. She shifted her bag up her shoulder and glared lightly at him, “So what’s this all about?”</p><p>His eyebrows furrowed in surprise, and he didn’t respond.</p><p>“Hmm,” she hummed out a sigh and shook her head, “I’ve got to go.”</p>
<hr/><p>Running into Luke Patterson at school was weird enough, but it paled in comparison to running into the boy on her way to the garage to clean it out.</p><p>“Ah!” she jumped back in surprise as she rounded the corner to find Luke, along with Alex and Reggie, sitting outside the garage. They jumped up at the sight of her, and Luke grinned, “What are you guys doing here?”</p><p>“Honestly, I don’t know,” Alex answered, looking particularly uncomfortable.</p><p>“We wanted to talk to you,” Luke said, stepping forward. He paused briefly, “Did you get kicked out?”</p><p>She swallowed thickly and steeled her expression.</p><p>“Yeah, I did.”</p><p>“Aw, man. That sucks,” Reggie said sympathetically.</p><p>“Well, that just means we’ve got to get you back,” Luke said.</p><p>She arched an eyebrow at him and crossed her arms over her chest, scoffing.</p><p>“What if I don’t want to go back.”</p><p>“Wh- Come on, I know you don’t mean that,” Luke said. He fished out a folded piece of paper out of his pocket and handed it over, “Look, you just need a good song. I think this one would go <em>great</em> with your voice. Check it out.”</p><p>Reluctantly, she took the paper. Her eyes scanned over the lyrics briefly.</p><p>It was good. She couldn’t deny that. It would definitely be a hit for Sunset Curve, but it wasn’t enough to break through the walls.</p><p>“I’m sorry,” she said, handing it back to him, “I… I can’t.”</p><p>“You can’t give up music, Julie. I know your mother wouldn’t like that.”</p><p>Julie’s eyes flicked up sharply at that. Behind Luke, Alex sucked in a breath.</p><p>She forgot sometimes how involved her mother was with local bands. Her mother had talked about Sunset Curve dozens of times, discussing her work with Trevor Wilson. She had always said they would be great one day.</p><p>She had said the same thing of Julie.</p><p>“We can’t force you to do anything,” Alex said, a hand on Luke’s arm, “And I’m really sorry about your mother.”</p><p>Reggie made a noise of agreement behind them.</p><p>Julie swallowed and looked away. She quickly brushed a stray tear off her cheek.</p><p>“Thanks,” she whispered, “Now… I have to do some cleaning.”</p><p>The three boys nodded, backing away.</p><p>“Of course,” Luke said. He sounded disappointed. Great. Another person she had disappointed, “We’ll see you at school tomorrow, Julie.”</p><p>She hummed and watched as they left. She didn’t move from her spot until she lost sight of them down the road.</p><p>Her eyes burned. She pressed the palms of her hands against her eyes and groaned.</p><p>“Snap out of it, Julie,” she whispered, “Snap out of it.”</p><p>She opened the door to the garage. Her eyes fell on the piano. The sheet music was spread out along the top, exactly where her mother had left it last.</p>
<hr/><p>In a way, Luke was right. She had needed a song, but it wasn’t the song that Luke was thinking of.</p><p>The moment her fingers had touched the keyboard with the beginning notes of “Wake Up,” the realization had settled over her.</p><p>She couldn’t quit music. Quitting music was like quitting her mom. She needed to move on, but she couldn’t forget her.</p><p>She couldn’t do that.</p><p>But it seemed that her realization was a bit too late.</p><p>“I can’t believe they already found another student,” Flynn grumbled as they sat in the cafeteria, absent-mindedly munching on sandwiches, “How did they work that fast?”</p><p>Julie shrugged and sighed, “I’m pretty sure there’s a wait list of students wanting in.”</p><p>“Of course, there is,” Flynn dropped her head into her arms.</p><p>Julie had disappointed a lot of people in the last few days, but in that moment, it was pretty obvious that the person she had disappointed the most was herself.</p><p>And maybe Flynn.</p><p>“This sucks,” Flynn moaned.</p><p>“What sucks?”</p><p>Julie jumped as Luke, Alex, and Reggie slid into the bench in front of them. Flynn, upon looking up, squeaked.</p><p>“Sunset Curve?” Flynn whispered to Julie, who simply shrugged. Clearing her throat, Flynn took a deep breath, “Julie sang again.”</p><p>Julie watched as Luke’s face brightened. He glanced over at Alex and Reggie, both grinning widely, and then turned back to Julie.</p><p>“Really? That’s great!”</p><p>“It would be,” Julie answered with a sigh, “But they won’t let me back in the music program. They already gave my spot to someone else.”</p><p>“Well, did you sing for Mrs. Harrison?” Reggie asked.</p><p>“I tried, but she said there’s nothing she can do.”</p><p>There was a moment’s pause before Luke was suddenly grabbing his bag and ruffling through it. Julie watched, eyebrows furrowed, as he pulled out the folded piece of paper from the night before and held it out to her.</p><p>“Sunset Curve books gigs by doing, not by asking,” he said.</p><p>She stared at the offering, uncertain, but then Flynn elbowed her in the stomach.</p><p>“Take it, girl!”</p><p>A smile flickered on her face as she took the song from him.</p><p>“Thank you.”</p><p>“No problem,” he said, “Just be sure to thank me when you win your first Grammy.”</p>
<hr/><p>Mrs. Harrison wasn’t in the music room when she showed up the next day, and somehow this led to Julie and Flynn showing up at the Spirit Rally just in time to watch Dirty Candy perform the closing number.</p><p>“There you are!” Luke said with a grin as the rally came to an end, appearing beside her. He was sweaty and jittery, and a quick glance at the stage where their equipment was still sitting told her that he was riding on the high from his performance, “You ready?”</p><p>“I’m… I’m not too sure,” she said.</p><p>Luke shook his head, grin practically glued onto his face. He pointed up at the stage. A keyboard was set up, and she knew that none of the members of Sunset Curve played the keyboard.</p><p>“We set it up for you,” he said, “Get up there before everyone leaves!”</p><p>She glanced at Flynn, who nodded encouragingly, and took in a deep breath.</p><p>“Alright,” she said, “Alright, let’s do this.”</p><p>The walk up to the stage was, to put it mildly, terrifying. She knew she was breaking school rules by doing this. It was a risk, a pretty big one.</p><p>But if she didn’t do this, she could kiss everything her mother lived for goodbye.</p><p>She sat down in front of the keyboard. Her fingers hovered over the keys nervously. She played the first few notes and stopped.</p><p>“You’ve got this!” Luke shouted. The noise caught a few people’s attention, and Julie’s eyes widened.</p><p>Okay. She could do this.</p><p>“Sometimes I think I’m falling down, I wanna cry, I’m calling out for one more try to feel alive.”</p><p>As the words fell from her lips, she could feel her confidence growing. She couldn’t help the smile that spread across her lips as her eyes found Flynn’s in the crowd.</p><p>“And when I feel lost and alone, I know that I can make it home. Fight through the dark, and find the spark. Life is a risk, but I will take it; close my eyes and jump. Together I think that we can make it. Come on, let’s run!”</p><p>So focused on the music, she hadn’t even realized Luke, Alex, and Reggie joining her on stage until, suddenly, their instruments joined her voice.</p><p>“And rise! Through the night! You and I! We will fight to shine together! Bright forever!”</p>
<hr/><p>“That was amazing!” Luke exclaimed as they watched Mrs. Harrison and the principal leave. Julie grinned widely, thrilled at the news that she could rejoin the music program. The performance had left her feeling on cloud nine.</p><p>“It was!” Flynn agreed, “Julie, when did you join Sunset Curve?”</p><p>Julie let out a laugh and shook her head.</p><p>“I haven’t. That was… unexpected, but awesome.”</p><p>“Ah, ah, ah. You haven’t yet,” Luke corrected, and Reggie let out a laugh, leaning on the other boy, “Julie Molina, you’ve got to join the band.”</p><p>Her mouth dropped open at that, right as Flynn jumped excitedly.</p><p>“Julie, Julie, Julie. Did you hear that? You’ve got to say yes. You’ll be <em>famous</em>,” she exclaimed, tugging on Julie’s arm. She seemed to realize her behavior, though, and pulled away, clearing her throat. She turned to the boys, “Um, I think you should be asking to join <em>her</em> band.”</p><p>The three boys laughed, but they didn’t deny it.</p><p>She gave a small, almost imperceptible nod. Her cheeks hurt from smiling. She squeezed Flynn’s hand tightly.</p><p>She could almost feel her mom smiling down at her. She would be proud of her.</p><p>They were going to be great, after all.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Of Managers and Music</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Trevor Wilson doesn't like the idea of Julie being in the band.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“No. No, absolutely not.”</p>
<p>“What?” Luke jumped up from his seat on the too-fancy-to-be-comfortable couch that rested in the living room of the mansion, “You <em>said</em> we needed to find a new member to complete the band.”</p>
<p>“I meant Carrie,” Trevor Wilson snapped, leaning up against the wall with the swagger only a superstar could hold. He was wearing his sunglasses indoors, and Luke was pretty sure his outfit cost more than Luke’s entire wardrobe at home.</p>
<p>Luke threw his hands up in the air and collapsed back onto the couch.</p>
<p>“Carrie just doesn’t <em>fit</em>. Julie does! You didn’t hear us up there, Bobby. We sounded amazing!”</p>
<p>Trevor glared at the use of his birth name, and Luke had the decency to hold his hands up in apology.</p>
<p>He hated talking to Trevor without Alex and Reggie. The man was the reason why Sunset Curve was able to get so many gigs (his connections were enormous) and he knew how to handle interviews in a way that always made them seem out to be these extraordinary beings. Still, he was impossible to deal with.</p>
<p>It was always Trevor Wilson’s way or the highway.</p>
<p>“Look, Luke,” Trevor said, arms crossed over his chest, “I don’t appreciate you going behind my back. I already found you a new member. We don’t need Julie Molina, okay? She’s a nice girl, but she’s unreliable. You know that.”</p>
<p>“That’s not fair,” he argued, “Her mom died.”</p>
<p>“I know that, Patterson!” Trevor snapped. He pushed off of the wall and walked a few steps closer to Luke, “I knew her mother. I knew Julie, too. But this band doesn’t have a place for emotions, alright? Besides, Carrie would kill me if I allowed this.”</p>
<p>Luke glared at the man, arms crossed petulantly over his chest. Of course. This was all about Carrie. Trevor knew that Dirty Candy, though good, wasn’t competing with Sunset Curve, and if they blew up before Carrie’s band, she would have a coronary.</p>
<p>Trevor would do anything to keep his daughter happy. It was why he had been pushing to get her to join Sunset Curve.</p>
<p>“Carrie can’t join the band,” Luke said pointedly, “She’s good, but we’re two very different styles. You know that, too. That’s why you haven’t forced it.”</p>
<p>“No backtalk, kid,” Trevor said, “Look, I’m the adult. I have experience in this industry. Julie isn’t it.”</p>
<p>“But she <em>is</em>! Her voice is magical, Trevor!”</p>
<p>“Drop it, Luke!”</p>
<p>Luke groaned and shoved himself off the couch.</p>
<p>Obviously, this wasn’t working. Trevor wasn’t going to budge.</p>
<p>Well, neither was Luke.</p>
<p>“Whatever,” he said, “I’ve got to go.”</p>
<p>Before Trevor could say anything else, he stormed out of the mansion. He passed by Carrie as he stepped out of the front door, but he ignored her cheerfully, “Luke!” in favor of climbing into his car.</p>
<hr/>
<p>His parents were both out when he got home, but Alex and Reggie were there. He could hear Reggie humming a song through the door of the room that he had shared with Alex for the last two months.</p>
<p>He wasted no time in pushing the door open and collapsing on Alex’s bed beside him. The two were both curled up on their own beds, in the middle of homework, though Reggie seemed to be doodling all over his worksheet instead. They pushed their work away when he entered, though.</p>
<p>“What’d he say?” Reggie asked, tossing his notebook onto the desk between the two beds, a dopey grin on his face, “Is she in? Please say she’s in. She’ll sound amazing on the country album. I already wrote her a part in-“</p>
<p>“We aren’t doing a country album, Reg,” Luke said, his lips quirking up despite his mood, “Besides, Trevor said no.”</p>
<p>“What?” Alex turned so that he was facing Luke, eyes wide, “Why did he say no?”</p>
<p>“Did he suddenly become tone deaf?” Reggie yelped.</p>
<p>Luke groaned and leaned back on Alex’s bed. He grabbed his pillow and hugged it to his chest, staring up at the ceiling. Alex leaned over into Luke’s vision, and he felt the other side of the bed dip in as Reggie joined them.</p>
<p>“He’s still caught up on the whole Carrie thing,” he answered, “And he says that Julie is “unpredictable.””</p>
<p>He used air quotes on that last word, rolling his eyes.</p>
<p>He was really getting tired of Trevor. He missed the days when it was just the three of them, back when they could make all the decisions about their music.</p>
<p>“That’s ridiculous,” Alex scoffed.</p>
<p>“Tell me about it,” Luke said. He ran a hand over his face, “What are we going to tell Julie?”</p>
<p>Neither of the other two boys had an answer. The idea of having to tell Julie that she couldn’t join their band after they had already invited her was not something any of them wanted to do.</p>
<p>They were spared the action of having to answer that by Luke’s ringtone.</p>
<p>He fished his phone out of his pocket and stared at the name on his phone.</p>
<p>Julie.</p>
<p>Of course.</p>
<p>He put the phone on speaker as he answered.</p>
<p>“Hey, Jules. You’re on speaker with the boys.”</p>
<p>“Hey,” she said, “I have a question.”</p>
<p>“Shoot.”</p>
<p>“Didn’t you say you wrote that song that we sang at the Rally?”</p>
<p>Luke shot Alex and Reggie a confused look, but they both just shrugged.</p>
<p>“Yeah, I wrote it a few months back. Why?”</p>
<p>“Okay, so apparently someone recorded us playing at the Rally,” Julie said, “And it got posted onto YouTube. It’s got a quarter million hits right now!”</p>
<p>Luke’s head snapped up at that. Reggie was already pulling his phone out and typing away on YouTube for the video, a grin spread across his lips. Alex leaned over to look at it.</p>
<p>“Really? That’s awesome!” Luke exclaimed, “We weren’t even trying to make a video.”</p>
<p>“It’s definitely something,” Julie agreed, but her voice wasn’t as excited as his. Instead, there was a big of confusion and annoyance leaking through, “Trevor Wilson just retweeted the video on twitter. He called it a ‘Trevor Wilson Original.’”</p>
<p>“A what?”</p>
<p>Ever since they had begun working with Trevor, they had only performed songs that the man had written or had helped them write. Luke had tons of songs, but Trevor always insisted that they needed to wait for those for when they had a bigger following. It wasn’t new that Trevor was taking credit for the songs, since he wrote them.</p>
<p>But “Bright” was <em>his</em> song, and it had gained more hits on YouTube than any of their other songs had in only a day!</p>
<p>“You can’t be serious,” Reggie said, “Luke wrote that song. He was up for three nights straight writing it. He didn’t even shower. Trust me. I could smell it.”</p>
<p>Luke shoved Reggie off the bed, but the boy just shot him a smirk.</p>
<p>“Well, he’s taking credit for it,” Julie said, “All the tweets under it are people telling him how great of a song it is.”</p>
<p>Try as he might, Luke couldn’t find the words in him to respond. He stared at Alex and Reggie, horrified, anger blossoming in his chest. His mind had gone blank, filled with nothing but his growing rage, his growing betrayal.</p>
<p>Alex seemed to pick up on that. He gently pried the phone from Luke’s fingers.</p>
<p>“I think we need to go have a conversation with Trevor. We’ll talk to you later, Julie.”</p>
<p>“Yeah, thanks for letting us know,” Reggie added on.</p>
<p>As Julie said goodbye, Alex hung up the phone.</p>
<hr/>
<p>The boys wasted no time before climbing in Luke’s car and making a beeline toward Trevor’s mansion. Luke could feel his hands shaking on the steering wheel.</p>
<p>He had never even <em>shown</em> Trevor that song.</p>
<p>He barely took the time to park before he was leaping out of the car, Alex and Reggie following. He banged on the front door.</p>
<p>It didn’t take long for the door to swing open. Carrie grinned at him, completely oblivious to his anger.</p>
<p>“Hey, Luke. I knew you couldn’t stay away from me for too long.”</p>
<p>“Yeah, sorry, Carrie. We need to talk to your dad,” Alex said, placing a hand on Luke’s shoulder, “It’s important.”</p>
<p>She let out a loud, obvious sigh of disappointment, but she moved from the door to let them in.</p>
<p>They found Trevor in his meditation room, just starting to set up.</p>
<p>“Hey!” Luke shouted as he entered. Beside him, Alex had his phone out, revealing the tweet, and he practically shoved it in Trevor’s face, “What’s this?”</p>
<p>Surprise flickered over the man’s face briefly before he schooled it into a more annoyed expression.</p>
<p>“What about it?”</p>
<p>“That’s <em>my</em> song,” Luke exclaimed, “I wrote it! You can’t… you can’t just take credit for it.”</p>
<p>“That’s the industry, kid,” Trevor said, “I’m your manager.”</p>
<p>“That doesn’t- That doesn’t mean anything!”</p>
<p>“Yeah, it’s not a Trevor Wilson original if you didn’t write it,” Reggie said.</p>
<p>“It’s a Luke Patterson Original!” Alex added.</p>
<p>Trevor sighed. He held up a hand to shush them, and Luke felt his anger bubble in his chest as he glared at the man in front of them.</p>
<p>“You guys are making a big deal about nothing,” he said, “it’s a song. I’m your manager, and I manage you, so it’s my song.”</p>
<p>“Not anymore.”</p>
<p>Alex and Reggie looked to Luke confused, but he saw the realization dawn on them. They didn’t say anything, though.</p>
<p>“What does that mean?” Trevor asked.</p>
<p>“You’re not our manager, anymore,” Alex said, “We’ll find someone else. Someone better.”</p>
<p>Luke smirked at the surprise and horror that spread across Trevor Wilson’s face. For as much as they had relied on Trevor to get them gigs, he knew that Trevor relied on them to keep him relevant. His own career was on a downfall.</p>
<p>He needed them.</p>
<p>“Wait. Boys-“</p>
<p>“We’re done,” Luke said. He pushed himself back towards the door, “We don’t need you.”</p>
<p>They didn’t. They could make their own decisions now, and Julie was definitely in the band.</p>
<hr/>
<p>They didn’t go home. Instead, Luke let his car take them to the Molina’s house. He had ridden through the high of firing Trevor as their manager, and the previous anger of the man’s theft and refusal of allowing Julie to be in the band had died down, leaving him exhausted. If he went home now and had to talk with his parents, he knew there would undoubtedly be another fight.</p>
<p>“Well,” Reggie said as the car parked, “Let’s go give Julie the good news.”</p>
<p>Good news. Right. This was good. They didn’t have to answer to anyone anymore. They could make their own decisions. They could play their own songs.</p>
<p>So why did he feel so awful?</p>
<p>Alex leaned over the seats from behind him and clapped him on the shoulder as Reggie climbed out of the car.</p>
<p>“Hey, man. It’s gonna be alright. We’ll find a new manager. Someone much better than Trevor.”</p>
<p>He hummed in response, but he couldn’t find it in himself to form actual words. Instead, he let Alex pull him out of the car and lead him to the front door, where Reggie was already standing, practically vibrating in his shoes.</p>
<p>Reggie had never liked Trevor to begin with, but Luke had convinced him that it was a great opportunity.</p>
<p>And it had been.</p>
<p>He didn’t hear Reggie knock on the door, but suddenly the door was swinging open, and a child was standing there, head cocked in confusion.</p>
<p>“Can I help you?” he asked, an eyebrow arched.</p>
<p>“Hey, little guy,” Reggie said cheerfully, “Is Julie home?”</p>
<p>“Yeah…” he said suspiciously, squinting his eyes at them, “Are you stalking her or something?”</p>
<p>“What? No!” Alex said, “We’re in her band.”</p>
<p>“Her band…”</p>
<p>“Yes, her band,” Luke said, a little abruptly, “Can you go get her?”</p>
<p>The child paused for a moment. He obviously didn’t trust them completely, but he acquiesced and called up the stairs.</p>
<p>“Julie! There are three weird guys on the front porch looking for you!”</p>
<p>He heard footsteps rushing down the stairs before he saw her, grinning at them. Her smile fell at the sight of Luke’s face, though, twisting into concern.</p>
<p>“What’s wrong?”</p>
<p>Luke didn’t answer, so Alex spoke up for him.</p>
<p>“Well, we no longer have a manager, anymore.”</p>
<p>“Oh,” she said, “<em>Oh</em>. You- Oh. I’m sorry.”</p>
<p>“Jules? Who’s this?”</p>
<p>Luke looked up to see Julie’s dad walk up behind her. His eyebrows were furrowed at the sight of them, but something flickered in his eyes. Recognition.</p>
<p>“Oh, these are some friends from school. Uh, Luke, Alex, and Reggie. They’re in a band.”</p>
<p>“Sunset Curve,” her father said.</p>
<p>“Tell your friends,” Reggie said, pointing at him with a grin on his lips.</p>
<p>Luke could see Julie fight back a grin as she spoke.</p>
<p>“They want me to join their band,” she said hesitantly, “But they just fired their manager.”</p>
<p>“Join their band? Wait, Bobby?” her dad asked, sounding surprised, and Luke jerked at the mention of the man’s name.</p>
<p>He hadn’t realized that he had known that.</p>
<p>Julie looked confused, but Luke spoke up before anyone else could say anything. If her dad knew the man’s name, he was probably friends with him, and he really didn’t feel like dealing with someone trying to convince him to go back.</p>
<p>“He stole my song,” he defended himself, “And he wouldn’t let Julie in the band.”</p>
<p>“What?” Julie asked.</p>
<p>Something flickered in her dad’s face, but then he sighed and held his hand out to each of them.</p>
<p>“I’m Ray, boys,” he said, before turning to Julie, “You know, if you ever need a place to practice with them, the garage would be perfect.”</p>
<p>“Oh, yeah, it totally would,” Reggie added, “We’ll probably need something, too. We used to practice at Trevor’s place.”</p>
<p>“Well, then, that’s perfect,” Ray said. He smiled, and it was kind. He didn’t seem to be angry or annoyed that they had fired his friend, so Luke felt himself relax a little, “How about you boys stay for dinner? We’ve got tons of extra spaghetti.”</p>
<p>Luke glanced briefly at Alex and then Reggie. His parents probably wanted them home for dinner, but he really didn’t feel like talking to them right now. He could just imagine them tell him, “I told you so.” They hadn’t liked Trevor, after all. They didn’t like that he was in a band to begin with.</p>
<p>“Yeah,” he said, “Yeah, that sounds nice. Thanks, Mr. Molina.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Hope you guys enjoyed! The plot is starting to unravel, but next chapter will really set it up. The boys are on the lookout for a new manager. Any guesses onto who they'll run into during this search? <br/>Thank you guys for all your responses! Leave a comment and let me know what you think!</p>
        </blockquote><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hope you guys enjoy! This all started because I wanted to write a story about what would have happened if the boys were alive, and it snowballed into a fully fledged storyline. The first chapter is pretty light, and it follows canon mostly, but starting with chapter 2, things are going to change quite a bit, so be aware of that! There will be more violence in this story than in the show (quite a bit of whump to keep up with Caleb's craziness), but there won't be any sexual scenes or language.</p></blockquote></div></div>
</body>
</html>